Optical Illusion
by MaidenInTheMoon
Summary: [For Japime-sama] Naruto lost his vision in a freak accident saving Sasuke, as he was under his rival shinobi's care, feelings began to form, now, as he recounts his story seven years later, will those feelings resurface? SASUNARU
1. Daylight Burns your Sleeping Eyes

Maiden: WHEE~!! NEW FIC!!  
  
NTI: You are so bad at updating after chapter three  
  
Maiden: T_T I know, but people tend to stop reviewing after chapter three ::hint hint::  
  
NTI: Review whore  
  
Maiden: URUSAI!  
  
NTI: READ ON!  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Optical Illusion" by MaidenInTheMoon  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, it'd be JUST like Gravitation  
  
Dedication: JAPIME-SAMA!! This is for you!! ::huggles::  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The soft afternoon sun beats softly down on my back, as I lazily walk towards Konoha hospital.  
  
Dust rises slowly as I kick a stray pebble.  
  
It's no fun being the demon-fox; All the shinobi in the village were called out to some meeting, and I can't go because I'm the STUPID DEMON FOX.  
  
~*Alone in a world where nobody cares, everyone laughs as they point and they stare  
  
Abandon me as you abandon yourself, but I don't want your love, I don't want your  
  
help*~  
  
He went too . . .  
  
Anou . . .  
  
Stupid, stubborn, sarcastic Sasuke, funny how all those words describe him.  
  
Even though . . . Sexy, yes, Sasuke is one sexy shinobi.  
  
No, back on track . . .  
  
I'm stuck taking on stupid genin missions, even though I've been a jounin for years, but even the genin went!  
  
Konoha hospital, a little girl can't get to sleep and wants a story. At first I turned it down and stubbornly asked why the girl's parents didn't read her a story.  
  
Orphan.  
  
No parents to show her any love and my heart went out to her. I had to go, as if I don't know what it feels like to be alone.  
  
I stop briefly and pull out my kunai to cut some daisies from a flower bed. Flowers always make people smile.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
The hospital is pretty quiet, and I reach her room soundlessly. The door's open and I look in.  
  
The frame of the small girl is hidden behind a gracefully billowing curtain, and her ebony hair flows thin and delicately in the wind.  
  
I clear my throat to announce my arrival.  
  
She turns her head quickly, surprised at first, but then her face lights up into a bright smile-- something that contradicts her pale and thin features.  
  
The girl's bright, cheery purple eyes dance with joy as she speaks quietly, her voice is ragged yet soft.  
  
"Arigatou . . . I don't want to be bothersome . . ."  
  
I shake my head in an immediate reply as I clumsily hand her the flowers.  
  
She lays them in her lap and admires them, as tiny tears well up in her eyes.  
  
"This . . wasn't too much trouble?" She asks as her voice starts to break.  
  
"Iie, no trouble at all!" I reassure her, and I sit down in a chair beside her bed.  
  
"They said you wanted a story, ne?" I ask warm-heatedly. She nodded shyly. "What kind of story would you like?"  
  
She laughs softly and looks up at the ceiling in thought and then blushes silently, looking at the floor.  
  
"Hmm?" I ask, a little confused.  
  
"Ma* . . . you're a shinobi... you wouldn't know any love stories, right?" She whispers barely audibly.  
  
My eyes widen in surprise, and then I laugh.  
  
"Well, I just might know one."  
  
"Honto?" She asks, as she grins again.  
  
I place my hand behind my head as I laugh nervously.  
  
"Hai, and it's true too. . ."  
  
She leans towards me and her purple eyes show deep curiosity.  
  
"Okay! I'll tell it!" I sigh in defeat as I lay farther back into my chair and she clasps her hands together in excitement.  
  
I take a deep breath before I begin.  
  
"Seven years ago, a young boy named Uzumaki Naruto fell in love with his sworn enemy, Uchiha Sasuke."  
  
~*No love is ever too late, even love for someone you hate, before you quit this dying  
  
game, remember that lost love is a crying shame*~  
  
* * * * * *  
  
*Ma - Well . . .*  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Bah, that's one of the worst poems I've ever written.  
  
NTI: V_V  
  
Maiden: This was ONLY an intro, it was so freaking short, only like 600 words o_O stay tuned for the next chapter!  
  
NTI: if you GET to the next chapter  
  
Maiden: ::facefault:: This story won't be long, I'm going to finish it before I update anything else, THAT'S A PROMISE!  
  
NTI: R/R!!  
  
~Maiden-Chan 


	2. It's Hard to See you Dreaming

Maiden: That intro was so short and bad, Suimasen Minna!  
  
NTI: TYPE!!  
  
Maiden: *feels very forced* are you forcing me to type?  
  
NTI: *holds up bowl of chili* no . . .  
  
Maiden: @_@ SUGOI!!!!  
  
NTI: As you can see, she's a chili fanatic  
  
Maiden: TYPE TYPE TYPE  
  
// . . . // = thinking  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Chapter II: It's Hard to see you Dreaming  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Disclaimer: YAY FOR CHILI!! Wait . . . I meant Naruto isn't mine  
  
A/N: Okay, have y'all seen Forrest Gump? Well, when he tells the story, it's kind of like he's reliving it, so this is how this is gonna be ^_^  
  
* * * * * *  
  
~*Don't run away, I'll keep you here, stay by my side, you have nothing to fear, I'll take  
  
all the pain you have inside and turn it into the love you've been deprived*~  
  
* * *  
  
A much younger Naruto ran through the muddy streets with speed only a true shinobi could ever attain.  
  
His blue shoes were already a deep hue of brown and they splashed loudly into the slippery ground.  
  
People watched him from their warm homes, behind their foggy windows and they shook their heads, not from sympathy or any other human emotion, but from sheer disapproval, after all, no one cared where the vessel of the Kyuubi was going in the raging storm.  
  
//Kuso*, Sasuke . . .// Naruto mentally screamed as he pulled a soggy, blond bang out of his eyes.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed as she burst into the boy's house, her clothes drenched and her lips blue from running through the bitter rain.  
  
"Sasuke's gone to the Fukkatsu No Shinden* [Temple of Rebirth] alone!" She yelled as her hands clenched into shaking fists.  
  
Naruto looked up from the scroll he held in his hands, his blue eyes wide with surprise.  
  
"No one who goes there ever comes back! Naruto, you've got to do something!" Her jade eyes sparkled with fresh tears ready to replace the old ones that had already been cried.  
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
"Teme* . . ." Naruto spoke bitterly to himself. Great time for Kakashi- Sensei to have an important mission.  
  
The Fukkatsu No Shinden was a legendary house of demons, where those ninja who wanted more power than their bodies had to offer would sacrifice their own lives in hopes of rebirth as a more potent and dangerous shinobi.  
  
Naruto had seen the temple once before, and he had bitterly wished he would never have to see it again.  
  
* * *  
  
It was about a year ago. the three Genins of team seven were crawling steadily through the underbrush, praying silently that their Sensei would not spot them and attack  
  
Naruto was about to pull out his kunai and poke Sasuke just to annoy him when an eerie prickling ran down his spine, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand straight up.  
  
The blond boy could feel where the strange aura was coming from and he turned his head to look through a small hole in the bushes.  
  
Amazing such a simple place could ooze such evil.  
  
Slabs of giant stones that had begun to blacken and corrode with time were placed in a semicircle around a clear pool.  
  
The water of the pool was clear and welcoming, so blue and so inviting. In fact, it sparkled with such radiance that it was, even to Naruto, unnatural.  
  
"Naruto!" Sakura hissed, as she looked back to see her teammate staring dumbly out of the bushes.  
  
Sasuke turned around soundlessly, his usual air of superiority preceding him.  
  
He followed Naruto's gaze, and cut a small hole in the brush so he could see for himself. The moment he lay his eyes on the temple, unbeknownst to his two comrades, Sasuke's inner demons awoke.  
  
The two untrained ninjas could not feel the strange chakra pouring out of the boy who knelt only a few feet from them, but from a tree high above the ground, hundreds of meters away, their sensei abruptly pulled his thoughts away from his beloved book and uttered a single word.  
  
"Shinden."  
  
* * *  
  
"Sasuke! What are you doing??" Sakura cried as she attempted to keep Sasuke from standing up.  
  
He pulled himself out of her grasp effortlessly and moved silently away from the other two, making his way slowly towards the temple.  
  
"Sasuke! Baka! You'll get us spotted!" Naruto hissed violently before he turned to look at Sakura, exasperated.  
  
The raven-haired shinobi continued to walk towards the pool, as if the rippling, blue waters were calling to him.  
  
He lay one palm on the cold, slab of stone and paused, his gaze still focused on the water.  
  
Sakura and Naruto both watched him, holding their breaths.  
  
Sasuke's hand went to his kunai holster, almost mechanically, and he brought his retrieved weapon in front of him.  
  
"What are you doing?" Naruto screamed as he stood up, ready to charge at Sasuke.  
  
His actions were not necessary however, as a puff of smoke enclosed the area, followed by three coughing voices.  
  
Sasuke was on his knees, rubbing his eyes and he looked up at the man who had brought him back to his senses.  
  
"Kakashi? What . . happened?"  
  
"You three are never to return to this place." Kakashi stated coldly, his uncovered eye glaring dangerously at his three subordinates.  
  
"What is this? Sensei?" Sakura asked timidly, her small frame shaking with fear as she stepped farther away.  
  
"The Fukkatsu no Shinden, a place forbidden to all Shinobi." Kakashi answered tersely.  
  
The three of them nodded, as Sasuke cast one last glance at the waters that had beckoned him to sweetly.  
  
* * *  
  
[back to present]  
  
Naruto pulled his orange jacket closer to his body as he parted the bush that kept so many secrets behind it.  
  
His eyes scanned the ground for Sasuke, and he caught sight of more than he had hoped for.  
  
Sasuke stood firm at the edge of the pond, but it seemed that another figure had risen from the water.  
  
They appeared to be talking, as Naruto quickly concentrated his chakra, allowing him to amplify his hearing.  
  
"Offer me your body, child, all I need are your eyes, and I can see, we can become one, the most powerful shinobi ever created." The figure whispered coldly, yet so sadistically calm.  
  
"So this is the secret of the Shinden?" Sasuke asked quietly, examining the figure from top to bottom.  
  
"One vessel? Combined by the sacrifices of five shinobi?" the dark-haired boy asked, a tinge of unease lingered in his voice.  
  
The figure nodded wordlessly.  
  
"It's been hundreds of years, few shinobi are powerful enough for me to take, but I will be the ultimate vessel, once you join me." The figure outstretched a dripping hand, and prodded Sasuke to take it.  
  
"There are five immortal senses, each of them has their own chakra, once you give up your body, your five chakras will become free, that is when I take your eyes, and the sharingan." The thing whispered as it reached the shore, and slowly began to take steps on the land.  
  
Sasuke did not move, but the ominous creature only slithered closer.  
  
"Now, Sasuke." He hissed, his voice dripping with desire for power.  
  
"If you ask me, you're only a bastard who harvests body parts, no shinobi should be stupid enough to give themselves up to you." Sasuke turned coldly, and began to walk in Naruto's direction.  
  
Naruto watched silently, the lump in his throat growing bigger with each passing second.  
  
//Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it . . .// Naruto thought uneasily, as he glanced from side to side.  
  
The figure appeared to have stopped moving, and it even looked defeated for a moment, but then it laughed, and that kind of laughter is never a good thing.  
  
"You think you can walk away from me, child? Nobody turns their back on me, so if you won't give up your life, then I'll make you give up your eyes."  
  
The creature raised its hands and the pool began to swirl violently, as the water rose high into the darkened sky.  
  
"You bastard! RUN!" Naruto screamed as he showed himself to his sworn rival. "GET OUT OF THERE!"  
  
"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Sasuke questioned demandingly, "This is dangerous!"  
  
"I KNOW THAT!! SO YOU HAVE TO GO NOW!!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and attempted to pull his teammate to safety.  
  
"This is none of your business, Naruto." Sasuke spoke coldly as he did not budge.  
  
"Your eyes, now!" The figure screeched as it launched itself towards Sasuke.  
  
That was all that Naruto could remember before he threw himself in front of his rival.  
  
* * *  
  
"Naruto, you moron, why? Are you mocking me? You can't be Hokage without your vision, Naruto, your dreams are shattered, do you realize that?" Sasuke said bitterly, as he held back tears he never knew he could cry.  
  
"Sasuke, what are you talking about? Where are you? Sasuke?" Naruto whispered quietly into a room he could not see.  
  
Sasuke took Naruto's wandering hand and held it in his own.  
  
"It's all my fault Naruto, I should be the one who's blind right now."  
  
"Blind? I'm . . . blind?"  
  
* * *  
  
~*I can't see the world in front of me, but I can see your love.  
  
Promise you'll keep me by your side until they turn the tides of time*~  
  
* * *  
  
*Kosu - Damn*  
  
*Teme - Bastard*  
  
o_O they cuss so much V_V  
  
* * *  
  
Maiden: WHEE~!! Hideously long chapter!! Hope y'all aren't blind now ^^;;;  
  
NTI: -__-()  
  
Maiden: *goes to eat chili*  
  
NTI: R/R! Beware! The next chapter is chapter THREE!  
  
Maiden: *dies*  
  
NTI: Okay, go into Dee Dee mode and be like "BUTTONS!!" (click the first button you see on the bottom) ^_^ 


	3. You Hide Inside Youself

HEY ALL!! ^^;;;;  
  
NTI: . . . .  
  
Maiden: THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT! I LUV YOU ALL SO MUCH!  
  
NTI: ::yawns::  
  
Maiden: WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?  
  
NTI: ::shrugs:: It's Friday night, I can't believe you are working on a fic  
  
Maiden: I OWE IT TO THEM! T_______T you guys are just too great  
  
NTI: just type and do the thanks at the end  
  
Maiden: ^__^ Reviewer thank you's at the end of every third chapter.  
  
* * * *  
  
Chapter 3: You hide inside yourself  
  
* * * *  
  
"Anou . . he was blind?" The girl asks timidly, her eyes wide with intrigue.  
  
I laugh quietly.  
  
"Hai, he was"  
  
"Demo . . ." she starts, diverting her gaze to the floor.  
  
"Demo nani?" I reply as I search for some clue from her hidden expression.  
  
She shakes her head quickly.  
  
"It's nothing, please continue, it's a very interesting story." She says as she smiles warmly, her eyes closing softly.  
  
I nod and take a deep breath before I continue.  
  
[back to story]  
  
A whistling breeze rustled the nervous air in the eerily quiet small, hospital room.  
  
Naruto could feel Sasuke's warm yet bitter tears roll gently down his hand and the blond boy shook his head in denial.  
  
"I can't be blind, Sasuke. Iie, I'm going to be Hokage one day, don't worry, I'll get my vision back, somehow." Naruto forced a pained smile as his blank, blue eyes glistened warmly towards a Sasuke he couldn't see.  
  
The dark-haired boy shook his head slowly.  
  
"Naruto, that creature's name was Bonta, he took your vision, and some village Jounin killed him after that, the immortal chakra of your vision is lost."  
  
A long silence followed as Sasuke quietly dried his tears.  
  
"Sasuke . . ." Naruto whispered quietly as he reached out his free hand, which Sasuke also found and tightly held together.  
  
"Sasuke, what am I going to do?" His shaking voice questioned.  
  
"It was my fault, Naruto, I was stupid and pathetic enough to go to that temple, Naruto, don't worry, I'll take care of you." Sasuke answered softly, his heart breaking at the site of Naruto's distraught face.  
  
"You promise?" Naruto asked uncertainly, as he lay his head against his pillow, sleep was lulling at his eyes.  
  
"I promise." Sasuke answered quietly as he lightly touched Naruto's tear- streaked cheek.  
  
Something about the boy's delicate features softened Sasuke and his heart fluttered ever so lightly.  
  
Naruto was in a sense . . . beaut . . .  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing his throat.  
  
Sasuke turned around quickly to see a weeping Sakura standing behind a rigidly composed Kakashi.  
  
"Sasuke, come here, I need to talk to you." His sensei said lightly, as not to wake a dozing Naruto.  
  
The boy cast one last glance at his teammate and left the room, closing the door soundlessly.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Nani?" Sasuke asked coldly, his icy demeanor had returned fully.  
  
"I want you to give these to Naruto, when he wakes up that is." Kakashi replied coolly, handing Sasuke a small bundle of scrolls.  
  
"What are these?" Sasuke asked suspiciously, eyeing the papers, and then a shaking Sasuke, who refused to meet his cold gaze.  
  
Kakashi took a breath before speaking.  
  
"These are Naruto's discharge papers, as of today, Uzumaki Naruto is no longer a part of Konoha's shinobi team, as he doesn't meet the requirements."  
  
Kakashi's statement was hurried, and it was short, but the meaning of the words put together weighted heavily on Sasuke.  
  
The boy's body shook slowly at first, only a tremble, but it increased to harsh, violent jerks. His dark eyes became hidden by eerie shadows and the papers crinkled dangerously in his clenched fists.  
  
"Thank you Sasuke, there will be no more missions until we find a new genin to replace his spot." Kakashi added as he turned and headed for the exit.  
  
Sasuke could hold in his emotions no longer.  
  
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO HIM! YOU KNOW HIS DREAMS, YOU CAN'T JUST KILL THEM WITH . . ."  
  
His voice quieted, as the man paused.  
  
"With these papers . . ."  
  
The boy's voice echoed in the halls and in his own head as well. Sasuke quieted, as he watched Kakashi and Sakura walk away.  
  
His dark, empty eyes watched them go, as he was frozen to the floor.  
  
The silver-haired man showed no emotion in the hospital, but when they stepped into the morning sunlight, Sakura swore through her own tears, that she saw her sensei cry.  
  
* * * *  
  
Inside the hospital, Sasuke shifted his weight against a cold wall as his knees buckled beneath him.  
  
He buried his face in his hands as he slowly ran his fingers through his raven-black hair.  
  
"Kami-sama, Naruto, I'm so sorry." He muttered silently as passing nurses cast the suffering boy sympathetic glances.  
  
"I might as well be dead. . ." Sasuke whispered as he moved his gaze to the crumpled scrolls that lay partially open on the floor.  
  
Sasuke's eyes narrowed into slits and he slowly placed his shaking hands over them.  
  
At first, nothing happened, but as Sasuke pulled his hand back, the scrolls burst into flames, soon leaving only a heap of smoldering ashes.  
  
* * * *  
  
Naruto was running, running through a field of bright yellow flowers, his breath was quick and his blue eyes sparkled with joy.  
  
He could see!  
  
He could see each bright yellow petal of the beaming sunflowers, and he could see the small butterflies bat their patterned wings in the warm air, he could even see . . .  
  
"Sasuke!" Naruto called out as he ran towards a tree that bent itself happily by a clear, flowing creek.  
  
The boy who sat under the tree looked up, his features softened as his eyes fell on the youth that called his name.  
  
"Naruto-chan!" He greeted as he hugged the energetic blond who had bounced into his open arms.  
  
"Sasuke, your eyes are so pretty!" Naruto squealed energetically as he hugged the boy harder.  
  
"Naru-chan, I can't breathe!!" Sasuke complained as he loosened the shorter boy's iron grip.  
  
"Suimasen!" Naruto blushed as he grinned sheepishly.  
  
"You are the greatest, Naruto-chan." Sasuke whispered quietly as he kissed Naruto's forehead unsuspectingly.  
  
The blond boy blushed a deeper shade of crimson and he grinned widely, his heart feeling as if it was going to burst.  
  
A rumble in the distance alerted the two boys as Naruto furrowed his brow at the darkening horizon.  
  
"Thunder?" Naruto questioned, as he looked back at Sasuke for answers.  
  
The only problem was, he didn't see Sasuke, the boy was gone.  
  
The storm clouds loomed closer, and the field of yellow flowers suddenly became a barren desert.  
  
"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered, his voice shaking with fear.  
  
"Sasuke?" He asked again, this time louder.  
  
"SASUKE WHERE ARE YOU?" Naruto screamed, as he looked around wildly, desperately wishing for a glimpse of his Sasuke.  
  
"Naruto! I'm here! Wake up!" Sasuke yelled as he shook the thrashing boy.  
  
A pair of blue eyes opened, as they saw nothing but darkness.  
  
"Sasuke!" Naruto cried as he shook his arms frantically, until they finally came in contact with the object of his desire.  
  
Naruto flung his arms around Sasuke's neck, as he held on tightly.  
  
"God, Sasuke, don't leave me!" Naruto sobbed as he shook his head defiantly, "I don't want you to abandon me." He said between muffled sobs, as his face was buried in Sasuke's chest.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere, Naruto, I'm here, and I'll be here with you." Sasuke comforted his teammate quietly.  
  
"I'm so scared . . ." Naruto admitted, his voice breaking.  
  
"Don't be, Naruto, you have me here." Sasuke answered softly.  
  
"You have me here . . . " \he repeated, his heart wrenched with his own words.  
  
Naruto would have him forever.  
  
* * * *  
  
Maiden: BWAH! I'm about to fall asleep, it's SO late T_______T  
  
NTI: DO THE THANK YOUS!  
  
Maiden: @__________@ OKEE!!  
  
~*RADICAL*~ (Reviewers Are Definitely Intelligent Cool And LOVEABLE !)  
  
Jodea Moondreamer - T____T you really think I'm a fantastic writer?? ::bursts into tears:: I'm so touched!  
  
SailorBook/Water Mistress - ^______^ hope ya liked it  
  
Assassin of the Shadows - If you thought that chapter was sad . . . ^^;; ehehe  
  
Lily day - BWAH!! OMG! I can't believe you like my stories! T_________T I'm so humbled. ARIGATOU!  
  
Bronze Eagle - THANKS SO MUCH! I can't answer the question right now ^_~ that'd ruin the plot  
  
Keitorin - Hey! I like chili XP  
  
JAPIME-SAMA!! - *super tackle huggle glomp* BWAH! Please accept my humble gift to you!  
  
Escuro de la Lus - THANK YOU! I'm glad you're enjoying it  
  
firedraygon97 - Wow, I cannot believe you actually read my stories, you are just such an awesome writer!! I am sO flattered to get good feedback from you!! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!  
  
Naruke - SASUKE TO THE RESCUE ^_^(V)  
  
Cayenne - I think I'm gonna develop the girl's character in the next chapter, OMFG! I haven't even come up with a name for her V_______V I lost my Japanese dictionary, HELP? ~*onegai*~  
  
Kleptomaniac Can Opener - ^^;;; yah, poor Naru-chan  
  
Blackfire4 - This IS chapter three o__O  
  
Xthe last highX - Thank you bunches!! ^________^  
  
THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT MINNA-SAN!  
  
NTI: *tacks sign up*  
  
Maiden: o_O oh yah, ::reads sign:: REVIEW!  
  
^_________________^  
  
~Maiden signing out  
  
P.S. I typed this at like 105 wpm cuz I'm sOOO busy, so GOMEN! If there are tons of mistakes V_______V 


	4. I Wondered What You're Thinking

Deh . . . *cringes under icy glares*  
  
SUIMASEN MINNA! You don't understand!! I'm Chinese!  
  
NTI: Ehh . . .  
  
I GOT A B IN PHYSICS, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?  
  
NTI: o___O Oh! So that's why you've been changed to your desk for the last two months ^_^ That's why you didn't even had time to eat, that's why you uh . . got grounded?  
  
T_______________T  
  
NTI: ^^;;;  
  
Bah, life is horrid, oh yah, and I forgot the little poem thing in the last chapter ^^;;; so I made this one longer. Btw, this chapter is pretty fluffiful, I don't think it's gonna go angsty again until a while lata ^_^ hehehe, *fluff fans cheer*  
  
* * *  
  
Chapter Four: I wondered what you're thinking  
  
* * *  
  
~*Your love mended the whole in my heart, Promise me we'll never be apart  
  
My warmth saved you from your own, sweet hell, Is everything right? Is everything well?  
  
Your beauty killed even the darkest of dreams, Is it all as good and peaceful as it seems?  
  
My kisses left you smiling again, can you tell me what happens then?  
  
Your kindness made me understand, that sometimes life doesn't go as planned.*~  
  
* * *  
  
"Naruto! Turn left! No left!" Sasuke groaned and placed his hands over his eyes as he heard his blinded friend walk stupidly into a wall.  
  
"Itai . . ." Naruto muttered as he rubbed his nose, which had begun to bruise.  
  
Sasuke sighed and quickly helped Naruto to his feet, draping Naruto's arms over his own shoulders.  
  
"I told you not to walk by yourself dobe! Now come on!" Sasuke held Naruto's hand tightly as he lead them both up the final flight of stairs towards his apartment.  
  
Naruto remained quiet as he followed obediently.  
  
Sasuke's hand was so soft . . .  
  
"Home at last," Sasuke sighed and opened the door to his neatly arranged apartment.  
  
Naruto blinked twice.  
  
"Sugoi! It's so big!!" The blond boy grinned widely as he impulsively hugged the boy he could feel was standing next to him.  
  
"Ano . . . Naruto, you can't see it remember?" Sasuke reminded, furrowing his brow.  
  
Naruto let go of Sasuke, a surprised expression was plastered on his face.  
  
"Demo . . . I could have sworn . . ."  
  
Naruto quieted, and forced a smile  
  
"You're right Sasuke, I don't know what came over me!"  
  
Sasuke sighed softly.  
  
"Come on Naruto, let's get you cleaned up."  
  
Naruto eagerly reached for Sasuke's hand, and the natural grin returned to his lips.  
  
"right! I don't think I've had a shower in three days!" He informed Sasuke cheerfully.  
  
The raven-haired boy sweatdropped.  
  
"Baka. . ."  
  
* * * *  
  
Sasuke sank into his couch and tiredly ran his hand through his spiky, black hair.  
  
//How am I going to tell him? Tell him that his life may as well be over? Tell him that everything he ever believed in abandoned him?//  
  
The Uchiha boy fought back his oncoming tears as he listened to the rhythmic splashing of the water that Naruto was currently bathing in.  
  
Sasuke stumbled onto his bed and covered his face with his pillow, inhaling the thin air that the pillow dared provide.  
  
//And now he's here, here with me, and I have to do everything I can to help him, everything . . .// Sasuke kept thinking, his thoughts screaming in his ear.  
  
The raven-haired youth turned onto his stomach, so that his face was pushed into the bed, he listened to the water stop splashing, and then, nothing.  
  
For a few moments, the apartment stood still, not a single sound traveled through the silent air.  
  
Then a whine broke its way through.  
  
"Eh . . . Sasuke? Some help here?"  
  
Dark eyes opened mechanically and swift ninja movements brought the boy to the front of the bathroom door in less than a heartbeat.  
  
"Naruto?"  
  
"Ma . . . you, uh, didn't put any towels in here . . ." The voice that came from the other side of the door was shy and slightly embarrassed.  
  
Sasuke sweat-dropped and muttered a "Kuso" under his breath.  
  
"Naruto, can you find the doorknob?"  
  
"Probably . . . demo . . ."  
  
"Demo nani?" Sasuke replied, slightly irritated, and very inconsiderately.  
  
"Ma . . . I don't have anything on." Naruto snapped back, losing his calm.  
  
Naruto smirked when he heard a thump from the other side of the wooden door, he assumed that Sasuke had fallen to the ground out of shock.  
  
"Baka, baka . . " Sasuke muttered as he barged into the bathroom holding a pile of towels in his arm.  
  
"SASUKE!"  
  
"Naruto, we're both guys . . ." Sasuke started as he rolled his eyes. "Or unless you're gay or something."  
  
Naruto pouted and narrowed his eyes.  
  
Sasuke smirked and stuck his tongue out at Naruto, which was something he never did, but for some reason he couldn't quite explain, he felt comfortable around this new Naruto, the Naruto that would never be able to see his flaws.  
  
The blond boy held his arm out, groping around for the towels.  
  
His teammate's eyes softened, but even he didn't realize it, as Sasuke stepped forward to help Naruto secure a towel around his waist, leaving only his torso exposed.  
  
Sasuke could not help but steal a look at Naruto's exposed body, although it wasn't unnatural to see Naruto undress, Sasuke had never been this close to Naruto, and he had never touched the boy's bare skin.  
  
His dark eyes scanned with precision, and his own body, against his will, shuddered slightly at the beautiful masterpiece that lay before him.  
  
What treasures had Naruto been hiding under that tacky, orange jump-suit all these years?  
  
Naruto had a sun-kissed tan, perfectly sculpted stomach muscles, and lean but strong biceps.  
  
But Naruto did not know this, in fact, he didn't know anything, all he was thinking about was a little trick he had carefully planned for Sasuke.  
  
Sasuke swallowed hard as he was forced to tear his eyes away from the inviting site.  
  
He turned around and took a deep breath before muttering some other random insult he had for Naruto.  
  
The blonde-haired boy was quick however and found a way to lay his hands across Sasuke's chest before he could get too far away.  
  
A spark shot through Sasuke's entire body at the contact, he wanted more than anything to throw Naruto's hands off of him, but he couldn't.  
  
"Sasuke . . ." Naruto began softly and sweetly, trying his best to sound as delicate as the voice that spoke when he used Oiroke no Jutsu.  
  
"H . . .Hai?" Sasuke managed to stutter in response.  
  
"EAT SUDS!" Naruto yelled as he pulled the dark-haired boy with him into the large tub.  
  
Sasuke didn't even have time to react as he fell into the pool of warm water beneath him, but he felt that Naruto was going to break his fall, and that made him very happy.  
  
The boy surfaced for air shortly after he was pulled down and decided to glare daggers at Naruto, even though he knew he couldn't see.  
  
Naruto was grinning, and grinning wide.  
  
"Nah, Sasuke! You got wet!" Naruto stated dumbly, making faces at Sasuke happily.  
  
Sasuke smiled softly, unable to resist Naruto's bubbling personality.  
  
// . . . Uzumaki Naruto is no longer a part of Konoha's shinobi team . . .// The words caught Sasuke off-guard and it felt as if a kunai had gone through his heart.  
  
The boy gripped his heart as he arched forward, covering his mouth with his free hand to stifle a cough.  
  
It came anyway, and it wasn't a normal cough, Sasuke felt something warm and thick on his hand, and he closed his eyes and prayed it wasn't what he thought it was.  
  
Sometimes, the world doesn't answer your prayers, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the site.  
  
"Sasuke? Are you alright? Did you cough?"  
  
He quickly rinsed his hand in the bathtub water and wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand.  
  
"Iie, Iie . . . I'm fine . . ."  
  
"Sasuke, this water's cold isn't it? You're going to catch a cold!"  
  
"Naruto . . ."  
  
"Suimasen! I didn't mean to!!" Naruto was panicked by now  
  
Sasuke sighed, Naruto was panicked, and it was very, very cute.  
  
"Naruto, let's just get cleaned up okay?" Sasuke said softly, as he wiped a soggy bang out of Naruto's eyes.  
  
Before he knew what he was doing, Sasuke had already picked Naruto up. He was carrying a dripping Naruto out of the bathtub in his arms.  
  
Naruto didn't even have time to protest, he was too busy trying to hide his blush.  
  
//What's wrong with me? Why is this bothering me?// Naruto was scolding himself in his mind. //Act cool, it's okay, he's just helping me//  
  
Sasuke placed Naruto and himself comfortably on the couch and began to wrap a towel in Naruto's dripping hair.  
  
"Sasuke, I can dress myself!" Naruto protested, although for some reason, he wouldn't really care if Sasuke stripped him and ravished his body at the moment, much less dress him.  
  
A sigh escaped Sasuke's lips and he shook his head multiple times.  
  
"Naruto, you'd put on the wrong colored socks, and probably try to put your arms in pant-legs," Sasuke said as he struggled to pull a shirt over the blond-boy's head.  
  
Blue eyes widened in fascination as the piece of clothing found it's way onto his body, It smelled clean and fresh, but a faint scent of sweet rice lingered on it.  
  
"Sasuke . . . is this shirt yours?" Naruto questioned.  
  
The raven-haired boy smiled softly.  
  
"Hai, your old clothes were all dirty and smelled like the hospital, we didn't stop at your house before we got here, so I'm letting you borrow my PJ's"  
  
Naruto gently hugged the soft material and smiled sweetly.  
  
"Arigatou."  
  
Sasuke smiled and then carried a tired Naruto to his own bed. He placed the blond boy under the covers lightly and stared for a moment at the placid face.  
  
"Goodnight Naruto." He whispered quietly, and turned off the lights, climbing beneath his own blankets on the couch.  
  
* * *  
  
Deh . . . . I'm sO tired right now T_T I started watching what I thought was "Survivor" yess . . . and it turned out to be some Olsen twins movie *barfs*  
  
Anyways, it was kinda catchy, cept for the guys weren't that hot, ^^;;  
  
Oro . . . REVIEW~ ONEGAI~ *puppy dog eyes*  
  
I luff y'all for your support, especially my gal Japime! *glomp*  
  
-Lots of Luff-  
  
~Maiden  
  
P.S.: I kinda spent all morning w/uh . . pervs, so I hope the little hentai- ish comment didn't bother y'all. In fact, I might be writing a lemon real soon . . . After I finish this and "Oracle"  
  
*audience gasps*  
  
Yah ^^;;; e-mail me if you want the summary  
  
~PurpleKitten125@yahoo.com 


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